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Chocolate Truffle Tarts

September 7, 2009

Hanging out on Twitter late at night when I can't seem to figure out where sleep went has very very good outcomes. I get to talk to my favorite people as if they were just a few feet away and beside geeking out with Jen, ZenChef and Mark, I also get to talk gluten free with Shauna of Gluten Free Girl . I love the way she is gently coaxing me to push my own boundaries. These Chocolate Truffle Tarts for example are the pure result of an idea that Shauna unkowingly planted in my head one late night.

When we are having large gatherings of friends and family like this weekend, I always try to accomodate everyone's needs, especially when it comes to gluten free and low salt recipes since they directly affect me too. After weeks spent reading about my diagnosis last year and ways to eleviate the symptoms, I realized that a gluten free diet could help a lot with genetic diseases and there was not much around as far as treatments were concerned. Our diet is 90% gf to start with except when it comes to pastries. Even there, I take a small portion and ship the rest to the neighbors, family or friends.

I admit, beside the obvious desserts like macarons, ice creams, panna cottas and financiers, I rarely practice my gluten free flours to the most of their ability. I should, I know it. I clearly see a difference when I keep the salt and gluten under wrap. The attacks are far less and few in between, the strength a bit less violent and I recover faster from feeling on a rollercoaster for a couple of hours. Trust me, it's not only "not fun", it's rather debilitating when you are in the middle of work. And who likes to feel like they are on a plane 24/7 from the ringing and pressure?

Thus, hanging out on Twitter and chatting with people like Shauna gives me the necessary push to try making more gluten free desserts. I have played with gf mixes in the past and often ended up with a brick to cut or cement to chew. I knew it was my lack of practice, and time to persue the issue because there are millions (the gf Daring Bakers for a start) eating gf pastries that not only look good but taste great. I mean, just give a look at this pie!

I had the perfect oppportunity this weekend to tackle a gluten free dessert once again. There are full blown celiacs in our family and then there's me, who does not have the usual stomach reactions but who could benefit from a little tightening of the regimen here and there. I had just the ticket with Chocolate Truffle Tarts and since the filling is already gf, the only thing I'd have to work on was the chocolate crust. I put one of Shauna's recipes side by side with mine and went about tweaking.

Oh happy happy me! The result was exactly like the original. A crisp, deep chocolate flavored crust, filled with an amazing truffle like chocolate filling and topped with a rich chocolate ganache. If I had been looking for my chocolate cravings to be back all these weeks, well....I was surely not looking anymore with these. Decadent and rich without being heavy or coyingly sweet. My kind of chocolate heaven!

While I don't think about turning this blog into a complete gluten free one, and developing the gf recipes I want to make demands more than I can handle right now, I am looking forward to finding the right balance for you readers and us here at home. I can cheat about 10% and feel fine but I know I am also tempting my symptoms and playing with the good days. These tarts were the perfect place to start. Not a crumb was left on anybody's plates.Chocolate Truffle Tarts:

Makes eight 4-inch tarts

Note: There are many gluten free flours out there that would work with this crust and I just used what I had available in the pantry. Here is a list of gluten free flours from which you can get inspired to try your own concoctions. For a non gf crust, use 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour instead of the 3 gf flours

Prepare the crust:In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and pinch of salt and mix until incorporated. Add the three different flours and cocoa pwder and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured (use more rice flour) board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Do not work the dough while in the mixer or it will toughen it up. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center. Place eight tart rings on a parchment lined baking sheet and set aside.When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic. Cut out eight 6-inch-rounds into the dough and fit them into eight 4-inch tart rings. If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the rings, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with pieces of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper. Keep the oven at 350F.

Prepare the filling:Place the chocolate in a medium bowland set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the butter, sugar, and coffee together to a boil over medium. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and leave it undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Gently whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time whisking quickly until the mixture is smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the tart shells and bake for 10 minutes.Let cool completely.

Prepare the chocolate ganache:Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil. Pour it over the chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Whisk until smooth and incorporate the butter at the same time until the ganache is completely smooth. Divide evenly on top of the tarts and snooth out with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

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comments:

Now that's a brilliant post Helen. I love twitter too for it's never ending banter, friendly solutions, and creative ideas! So what if I didn't win over macs...I've still got the mac attack twitter gang backing me. Love this tart; it's luscious and so accomodating. Wonderful. Buckwheat might just work in here too. Your pictures are splendid too, as always. What a feast!

These are definitely so, so pretty. I haven't (knowingly) made any gluten free desserts at all. I'd love to try out some GF baking. You're post encourages me that GF baked goods can, in fact, be quite delicious!

Stunning and beautiful as usual. I am also trying to bake more GF desserts for my friends with GF lifestyles including Shauna. It is really encouraging when there is no noticeable difference between a GF version and a non-GF version.

This looks delicious! I've been on a GF diet since December, and have been able to do a pretty good job with GF baking, but it's nice to see posts like this. I've really liked using millet flour- it's sweet, and has been a good substitute in brownies and cakes. I'm definitely trying this crust recipe!

I am salivating looking at these. The best pecan pie I ever made was with a gf crust and Elise Bauer's recipe for not too sweet pecan pie. It was for a friend who is not a full celiac but has allergies to wheat & dairy. I'm sorry about the Mesniere's but am glad you can find ways to alleviate it and remain a gourmande.

These look SO good! Do you have straight sided tartlette pans or did you do these in rings? I think the straight sides look so pretty!

My son and I are making a chocolate cake from Julia Child's MTAOFC vol 2, there is no flour in it but there is cornstarch. Don't know if that has gluten or not since no one I cook for has trouble with gluten...if it turns out well I would share the recipe with you if you would like!

Helen: Once again, you have me salivating. Especially, since I am now gluten free. Has not been easy, but much better than suffering the consequences of eating gluten. This recipe looks fantastic as only you can do. You are one of the most inspiring cooks I know (through the wonderful world of the internet). I hope to meet you one day as I live close by.

I'm glad you are finding that you can control your symptoms with diet. Looks like allergy related. I remember when I was drinking a lot of soy-milk my throat gets so sticky and my ears start popping a lot. I switched back to milk. This chocolate ganache tart sounds heavenly!

Lovely tarts! I try to avoid Twitter as I'm afraid of how much time it would take up! But sounds like fun just being able to chat away with people from all over the world. I don't know anyone who needs to avoid gluten (lactose yes - my partner is Finnish, apparently very common there!) but this looks like something to try regardless!

Until my daughter's friend was diagnosed with celiac's last spring, I didn't know about GF baking, now I'm always on the look out for something fabulous to cheer her up with. Can't wait to share this with her.

I must say, you pack a lot into a post. And, I love every word of it. My son was diagnosed at 8 years old, with Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile onset). He recovered completely, has never been re-hospitalized, and we embraced a diet and lifestyle to support him. I never used "diabetic" food, ie "sugarless." Instead we made food "from scratch" and never purchased or used "white" ingredients such as sugar & flour. He is now on his own, grown tall and lean! No matter what the diagnosis, one finds their own way, and this post reminds me once again, it can be done with joy and "good taste!"

I think there should be a better name for gluten free desserts. I dont know why- but I think it should be a prettier name like Wheatless Wonders or Seriously Yummy minus Gluten... or you know something like that. It could be your next book Helene.

My friend has periods of vertigo- I need to mention this to her. Thank you for sharing.

A simply stunning tart! Wow! Perfect everything! And I also love twitter and my twitfriends who push me, dare me, give me ideas and answer my questions (like you!). After all, I had the courage to make your macs. Now I may have to make this fabulous chocolate truffle tartlet.

They look beautiful! I too have been dabbling in creating GF desserts since I have a friend who is GF but I have stuck to ground almonds only so far as my experience with GF flours has not been so good to date. You have inspired me to keep experimenting, thanks.

I was diagnosed with Menieres about 15 years ago. It took 20 years and many, many different doctors to finally diagnose it. I guess you could say I'm in remission at the moment, fortunately. It can knock me off my feet at times. I have never done anything to change my diet. I know I shouldn't drink the amount of coffee I do. As far as the tarts, I'm ready to put the fresh fruits and berries of summer aside for chocolate!

Hi Helen,I stumbled across your blog by accident, now I am glad that I found your blog. i feel like I have stepped into the dessert paradise.Needless to say amazing recipes and brilliant photography. I could just look at your blog, its truly mesmerizing. Have fun baking!

Thank you for this! I'm sure Andrew will thank you for this someday too :) It's good to know those geek sessions can lead to something other than wasting time! a ha ha! Shauna is indeed an inspiration, but so too, my dear, are you! xxoo

I had a leftover plain shortcrust tart crust sitting in a tin from yesterday when I read this - so I filled it with the chocolate truffle filling. I just had a slice with some whipped cream and raspberries fresh from the garden and the filling is sensational - thank you!

Also, I can't thank you enough for putting the metric measurements in - so many american recipes I've tried seem to turn out funny from weird conversions.

I'm sorry to hear about your condition. I know how it must feel as I have also been afflicted with an autoimmune disease for over 15 years. I read one of the medications for your disease was dexamethasone. I recently had to take that as well and it is no fun! But anyway, it seems like this hasn't stopped you from making your beautiful desserts! You are truly an inspiration. Keep it up!

Amy J: I want to say yes, but I have not tested it instead of white rice flour so don't take my word for it.

Trissa: so far meds are cortisone shots. Not pleasant either and side effects suck but they are only 3 times a year. Drs. wait for the attacks to be more frequent and more violent before operating. Oh joy!

I'm late to the party, but I love these chocolate and white shots -- perfect to focus on the dark, chocolaty goodness. Oh, amazing. Also what's amazing is that you are almost all GF! That's what I call will power! :)

When I first looked at these I right away began thinking, these will destroy me. Nice to see that they are gluten free! I too struggle when I eat a lot of things filled with gluten so it is a good find for me.

This will be something I have to try out with my husband. He hates that we eat a lot of the same desserts lately, so this will be a great switch up for him.

Hello,I just wanted to thank you for this recipe- I made one big tart in a spring form pan and it was so good and not too sweet (with some lightly whipped cream on top instead of the ganache.) And I wanted to tell you what a lovely space you´ve created here-- isn´t it strange how a blog is created out of nothing? (Nothing and hours and hours of work) Anyway I´m sure you know that by now, but thank you for sharing your work with the world!

Thank you so much for this recipe! I made the non-GF version and added fresh raspberries to the tops for a wedding shower this weekend. They were an enormous hit, and they were devoured by adoring bridesmaids. My pictures are no where near as beautiful as yours but the tarts themselves were very photogenic :-) Thank you so much for your constant inspiration to food bloggers, photographers, and cooks everywhere.